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Archknight
]] "Archknight" is an archetype of FIRE Psychic-Type monsters that use banish manipulation to maintain hand and field presence, all the while summoning their powerful Fusion Monsters. The archetype was created by user, JrH154, and its first batch of support was released in mid-late 2014. Since then, additional support for the archetype has been released on a semi-regular basis (though the frequency of new cards has declined). "Archknight" is the first in the trilogy of archetypes, the likes of which always consists of FIRE-Attribute, Psychic-Type monsters. Naming The Main Deck monsters fall under two broad categories when it comes to naming conventions: *12 of the Main Deck monsters have Latin names, all of which translate into one of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. *The remaining monsters also have Latin names, although theirs do not translate into animals. The only exception to this is "Psychic Fury Spirit", which does not bear a Latin name. The Extra Deck monsters fall under similar categories: *Most of the Extra Deck monsters also have Latin names. The only exceptions being "Gaia, Archknight Avatar" and "Nymphali, Archknight Arbiter". In addition to its name, each Extra Deck monster also possesses some kind of title (e.g. "Archknight Lord"). *The remaining monsters possess only a title, such as "Reaper of Radiance". The archetype's Spell and Trap Cards follow their own trend, as each one refers either to a theme or style of music: *As a general rule, the names of the Spell Cards typically come from more "up-beat" themes/styles of song (e.g. "Minuet" and "Sonata"). *In contrast, the Trap Cards typically refer to slower and much more "somber" themes/styles (e.g. "Dirge" and "Nocturne"). The only exception to this is the Field Spell Card, "Sanctum of the Archknights". Story "Far to the East, in a land with no name, it is said that one can find a treasure cleansed in a flame that does not die. But can one trust the words of dead men who coveted such a treasure? They say that in a bygone age, three Brothers from the distant West walked these forbidden grounds, but lost their minds and bodies in search of that which cannot be found. Whether such tales are truth or mere myth, we may never know; for faint embers among raging flames bear no voice. To walk those smoldering lands, where the path one treads makes weary the faintest thought, the Brothers searched in vain for their reasure lost, but only their own solemn voices guided them on their way. With rage amidst their dying hearts, the Brothers could scarce remember what they sought. And when the Brothers found their treasure long lost, their hearts of anger sentenced them deep beneath the eath, where they remain to this day." - The Exaltation of the Archknights 4:13, 5:11 Playing Style In General An "Archknights" Deck is relatively slow and has a prominent focus on searching for and recycling cards (a task carried out mainly by the archetype's Main Deck monsters). Most strategies involve getting key cards into the Graveyard as quickly as possible, where they can be recycled to the hand, Summoned, or otherwise banished in order to activate certain effects. In combination with support from its Spell & Trap Cards, the archetype is capable of maintaining a considerable field presence during the mid-game and the late-game. While the archetype's Main Deck support is predominantly passive, its Extra Deck monsters boast a variety of powerful effects, giving the deck as a whole a tremendous level of flexiability and adaptability. 'Main Deck Monsters' While the Main Deck monsters have a wide variety of effects, they all follow the same general strategy of searching/recycling other members of the archetype (be it Monster, Spell, or Trap): *The Level 4 monsters focus on Summoning other Psychic-Type monsters. *The Level 3 monsters focus on searching for and recycling key cards (such as other Psychic-Type monsters, or the archetype's Spell/Trap Cards) *The Level 2 monsters broadly focus on recovering advantage, again, largely by retrieving lost/used cards. *The Level 7, 8, and 9 monsters can Special Summon themselves by banishing other Psychic-Type monsters, and possess powerful effects once on the field. *The lone Level 1 monster cannot be Normal Summoned or Set, but maintains hand advantage by allowing its user to draw a card each time it is sent to the Graveyard. 'Extra Deck Monsters' While the Main Deck monsters continually provide hand and field advantage, the "Archknight" Extra Deck monsters are free to pressure your opponent, and steadily push for game: *The Level 5 monsters focus mainly on creating combos with other cards within the archetype, and don't follow any set pattern otherwise. *The Level 6 monsters have a mix of offensive and defensive effects, and are intended to create further combos with the Level 5 monsters. *The Level 7 monsters utilize offensive effects and disruption, and have a greater focus on locking-down your opponent. *The Level 8 monsters are built entirely around offensive effects, and are at the heart of the archetype's power. *The Level 4 monsters have relatively passive effects, but otherwise have no discernible pattern. *The Level 10 monsters both have extremely deadly effects, but they require some deal of set-up to properly Summon. *The lone Level 12 monster is the archetype's ace card, and negates any card or effect (although this also applies to its controller). 'Spell and Trap Cards' As a general rule, the "Archknights" Spell Cards focus on protecting your monsters, and setting up future plays. They are split into 3 categories: *The Normal Spell Cards, which provide solid, advantage-gaining effects (such as drawing cards or summoning monsters). *The Quick-Play Spell Cards, which focus entirely on protecting your monsters from your opponent's cards. *The Continuous/Field Spell Cards, which provide largely passive effects (such as allowing you to Summon additional monsters). In contrast to these, the "Archknights" Trap Cards focus largely on destructive effects, and on Special Summoning monsters. Like the Spells, they are split into 3 categories: *The Counter Trap Cards, which are purely focused on offensive and destructive effects. *The Continuous Trap Cards, which universally focus on Special Summoning Psychic-Type monsters. *The Normal Trap Cards, which focus on disruption and offense (similar to the Counter Traps). Strengths and Weaknesses The greatest strength of an "Archknights" Deck is its ability to win almost any battle attrition. While its Main Deck support lacks raw power, it can easily work your opponent out of his/her resources, all the while still maintaining advantage. Destruction effects (such as Torrential Tribute) can potentially serve you more than your opponent, because the "Archknight" monsters recycle cards when they are sent from the field to the Graveyard. Similarly, more disruptive effects (such as Phoenix Wing Wind Blast) are of little hindrance, due to the Decks immense search power. Lastly, banish-based effects (such as Bottomless Trap Hole) are of minimal concern, because of the archetype's focus on banish manipulation. The deck's biggest asset is its ability to retain resources, and its extremely strong mid-game and late-game. The greatest weakness of the Deck is its generally slow pace. The deck is extremely combo-based, and almost all of its plays require some kind of setup in order to execute properly. Additionally, the Deck is extremely reliant on the Graveyard, so cards such as Abyss Dweller and Necrovalley can hinder the Deck, or even halt it entirely. Despite its focus on banish-manipulation, cards such as Macro Cosmos, which cut off Graveyard access entirely, will also severely hurt the Deck. Faster-paced decks, such as Qliphorts and Satellerknights, can also overwhelm Archknights before they have a chance to set up. The decks biggest con is its overall reliance on multiple resources, and its underwhelming early-game. Category:Archetype